Just watched the Working Lunch lady presenter claiming that Ofcom buckled under THEIR pressure!
Is this the same programme that has simply ignored protestations about 0870 for a year or more and not done anything?

wrote on Sep 30^th, 2005 at 12:23pm:

Just watched the Working Lunch lady presenter claiming that Ofcom buckled under THEIR pressure! Is this the same programme that has simply ignored protestations about 0870 for a year or more and not done anything?

And where is the buckling when nothing is to happen on 0845 and when Ofcom's promised action by the Spring of 2005 turns into another 3 month consultation starting 6 months later than their original action date that will then take them 9 months to report on and then another year to take effect after that?  Presumably the point about this Working Lunch program is that it is as lacking in ethical content as the typical uk big business?

Personally I never watch telly at that time of day and so don't know what it contains.

Yes and what about the continually inacurate claims that particular woman makes about the level of Premiums paid to the scammers: for instance only 2.5 p maximum on 0870s and practically nothing on 0845s and 0844s!! Not even mentioning the extortionate rates on 070 PNSs.

In any case ...... the credit for what?? Is it the credit for the fact that Ofcom have decided, under so much of an onslaught, to attempt to put up a smoke screen of yet a further "consultation" based supposedly on a verbose document of such bamboozle that most of the public will not have the time to read it, let alone to understand what is actually contained within the padding.

All so that at the end of it they can continue with what they have already decided to do - to prevent revenue sharing on 0870 unless there is an announcement provided (in other words not to prevent it at all); to move current 0871 services to 09 as a sop; to continue to allow 070 PNS to be exploited with queuing at virtual 09 rates of premium charge, by allowing the current abuses which have been clearly pointed out to them to continue with no action on their part; to continue to allow 0845s to be used as Premium numbers with queuing allowed; to continue to allow 0844 at higher rates than 0845, virtually replacing the current 0870 abuse, with queuing allowed; to do nothing about the abuses of 0800 (mainly mobile telcos and some CPS providers) where calls are paid for twice over, by the caller and the called subscriber, etc.

I could continue the list with other continued abuses, but I will not waste my time. However, I am quite sure I would not want to claim any credit for that outcome relative to these scams, which is a virtually inevitable outcome and is "pre-decided", despite the smoke-screen of this further "consultation".  Any of us claiming credit for that would just make ourselves look completely foolish. Perhaps that is what Working Lunch are trying to achieve, as they do in other areas also from time to time, because they just do not do proper research on some issues which their contributors have insufficient knowledge of?

I must re-emphasize the point that what this whole issue is actually about is a contravention of the New National Numbering Plan. Ofcom know this and all the time they are attempting to avoid and parry this principal issue. All these abuses are illegal under the New National Numbering Plan. All that has to be done to solve all the problems at a stroke is to enforce the New National Numbering Plan. It all actually so simple. That is why Ofcom are trying to avoid the issue. The irony is that it was the Regulators who were originally responsible for the details and constraints of the New National Numbering Plan. This all occurred because Oftel sat by and did nothing when BT began to and continued to abuse and contravene the New National Numbering Plan!

Is Working Lunch aimed only at Daily Mail reading houswives then?   It must be the spiritual antithesis of Newsnight?

Perhaps I need to instruct my Tivo PVR to record a few editions of it to better evaluate the matter.

[quote author=NonGeographicalMan link=board=news;num=1128083021;start=0#3 date=09/30/05 at 14:27:49]Is Working Lunch aimed only at Daily Mail reading houswives then?   It must be the spiritual antithesis of Newsnight?

Daily Mail - what's that then? ;)
OE at the ready when NGM joins the fray! ???  Used to know some big words myself before the nurse started spiking my Ovaltine.